“ … and, should the symptoms of sleeplessness persist, a patient may attempt any number of psychologically soothing exercises … lulling the mind to a more restful state of being … the most popular and effective of these called ‘counting sheep,’ wherein the patient, with eyes closed, begins enumerating sheep as if the beasts were…

It was early morning in the middle of fall. The world was dark, as it tended to be on autumn mornings such as this, when the day was newly unfolded and still smudgy from whatever was left of the night. A hum, low but gentle, rumbled not far behind Peter Luck, who was speedily making his…

Because everyone can use a little magic on a Tuesday afternoon … Somewhere in the untamed mountainside near Yosemite, on the California border of all that was good and evil, once sat a small patch of wild lavender, and just beyond, a smaller spring. An accidental journey brought Astrid to this spring, its water tumbling like wet…

Yosemite My name is Yosemite. I’m five feet, six inches tall with a reddish tint to my hair, a long beard that I never comb and green-blue eyes that are noticeably two different sizes. I only shower on Thursdays, smoke at least five cigarettes a day and eat my cereal each morning with cinnamon whiskey…

A short piece of fiction inspired by tonight’s sunset … For the third week in a row, Janet forgot to shave her legs. The first time she forgot was on a Sunday when she was changing into her swimsuit for Joel’s picnic-basket dinner on the beach. Janet looked at her legs as she slipped on the…

If you’ve ever been to Lido Village Books, you’d know it’s a magical, literary oasis catty-cornered among the elegant shops of Via Oporto in Newport Beach. The vibe is kind of like a tangible sigh, worry leaves your body, you’re among pages composed by masters of the written word. Tomorrow, Feb. 6 at 7 p.m.…

“There is more treasure in books than all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.” – Walt Disney If you’ve ever taken a stroll around the path that twists along Balboa Island, you’ve probably passed a tiny blue structure sitting on the side of the way. Inside are no more than ten or twenty books, donated…